Matthew Gumkowski was charged with first degree murder, armed robbery and arson in the death of his roommate at a rooming house according to the Bristol County District Attorney. Joseph Kilrow was found beaten, strangled and stabbed in his third-floor room before firefighters were called to the fire at the rooming house. Gumkowski is currently in jail on other charges and is expected to be arraigned on murder charges this week in Attleboro District Court.
On July 14, 2011, David Linton of the Attleboro Sun Chronicle reported that Gumkowski was a person of interest in the murder. On July 14th, the Attleboro District Attorney's stated that the investigation was ongoing and that Gumkowski was the last person to see the victim alive.
News reports indicate that Gumkowski had blood on his sneakers and that the district attorney was seeking a court order to get DNA.
At this point, it is unclear what evidence the Commonwealth has against Gumkowski. It appears that the case will hinge on the ability of the Commonwealth to find DNA evidence linking Gumkowski to the murder. The news report state that Gumkowski was the last person to be seen with the victim, but it is unclear how soon before the murder and who the witness is to this alleged contact. As an Attleboro criminal lawyer, the Gumkowski trial is likely to depend entirely on forensic evidence and circumstantial evidence.
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